Patagonian Icefield Reasearch Program 2022
Grey Glacier, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
PIRP 2022 was the second expedition and helped to slowly transform PIRP into an international program. In 2022, we, for the first time, invited international faculty. And were the students of this program who encouraged us to make the leap of switching from Spanish to English, the key to opening PIRP to the world.
The campsite was located on the west side of Grey Glacier, an area reserved for conservation and research; no tourists were allowed. We also explored the valleys around and discovered new places, including a Lenga forest (southern deciduous beech), which was the closest to an enchanted forest we had ever seen.
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Dates: November 14 to 27, 2022
Duration: 14 days
Fieldwork: 12 days
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The expedition was led by Natalia Martinez and Camilo Rada. And counted with an amazing group of faculty composed of Dr. Enrique Serrano (University of Valladolid, Spain), Dr. Sergio Leon-Rios (Universidad de Chile) and the locals Dr. Judith Pardo, Dr. Rodrigo Soteres, Dr.(c) Erling Johnson and Dr.(c) Inti Gonzalez (Universidad de Magallanes).
The staff that managed the logistics and mountaineering curriculum was composed of Natalia Martinez and Isaac Gurdiel (a Spanish graduate Ms.C. Student at Universidad de Magallanes). And everyone enjoyed the constant support of Francisco Ojeda, a Park Ranger at Torres del Paine National Park, who generously shared all his local knowledge and helped us in all possible ways.
​This ten-strong team supported 14 extraordinary students from three different countries studying at multiple Chilean universities.
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Alba Rubio Félez, a Spanish Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on relative rock exposure dating using a Schmidt hammer.
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Andrés Pérez Marín, a Chilean undergrad student at Universidad Austral. Working on identifying the structure and thickness of the geological layers of Zapata formation.
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Benjamín Carrillo Pavez, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on identifying and characterizing fossils on the rock outcrops recently exposed by the glacier.
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Diego Gamonal Lorca, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on supraglacial stream dynamics.
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Francisca Scapini Barra, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad Mayor. Working on characterizing the geology of the area.
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Julio Echegaray Echegaray, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on relative rock exposure dating using a Schmidt hammer.
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Luis Muñoz Gaete, a Chilean a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on the bathymetry of the calving front using a DIY remote control echosounder boat.​
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Marcelo Santis Hernandez, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Chile. Working on measuring surface speed and ablation rates.
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Josefina Errázuriz Delloro, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on measuring vertical temperature variations using a DIY low-latency temperature logger and a UAV.
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Miquel Nieto Conill, a Spanish Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on all projects as an assistant.
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Rodrigo Sepúlveda Hernández, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on all projects as an assistant.
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Sebastián Alfaro Gómez, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on all projects as an assistant, especially when GNSS measurements were needed.
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Vania González Reyes, a Chilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on the seismic signal of calving events as registered by three geophones.
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Vitoria Ottato Rodrigues, a Brazilean Ms.C. student at Universidad de Magallanes. Working on UAV photogrametry and monitoring calving events using time-lapse cameras.
PIRP 2022 expedition team. From left to right: Benjamin, Vania, Natalia, Marcelo, Rodrigo Sepúlveda, Sebastián, Josefina, Isaac, Rodrigo Soteres, Diego, Francisco, Vitoria, Alba, Sergio, Erling, Miquel, Luis and Camilo. Julio, Judith, Francisca and Andrés were not present in the picture.